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Friday, December 30, 2011

Tony got me the holga lens and filter case/attachment for my iphone and I am crazy for it. It's so fun! There are 10 different options on the wheel, different color filters, shapes, and screen splits, here are a few of my recent pictures:

Row 1: bando heart headband, pink tulips, closeup of tulip

Row 2: butterfly from bug under glass, candy from china town, an ornament on my tree

Row 3: Nativity scene, my dad, hermes typewriter.

I definitely recommend one. Photojojo has them but they won't be in stock until mid January, I think Tony got mine fromhere.

Well, don't I feel like a deadbeat. It seems like ages since I last checked in. I don't even really have a good excuse-the holiday rush has died down and I just have been enjoying everyone's company. Christmas eve and Christmas day was spent at our house. It's very nice to cuddle up on the couch with a blanket and have everyone come to you :)

Of course after two days of being in the house we got a bit of cabin fever. On Monday we went down to the Grand Ave MOCA to see the Weegee exhibit. My intro to photography teacher introduced me to Weegee's work but I had never had to chance to see the actual prints- or any of his "hollywood" work. I would definitely recommend seeing the show. I think it's up until February. I've got one more good friend visiting from out of town, so the party continues for a few more days. Everyone needs a bit of a break every now and then. Happy holidays!Row 1: The faces of my Christmas ornaments

Row 2: Some more ornaments and my two trees
Row 3: Weegee exhibit at MOCA downtown LA
All photos taken with my iphone 4 then edited with instagram.

Friday, December 23, 2011

There's no doubt about it- it's now officially crunch time! If you're like me, you're still waiting for some presents to arrive in the mail so it's a good idea to get your wrapping supplies ready. Here are a few of my favorites I found around pinterest. Above, you can't beat a brown paper package tied up with string- unless you add some vintage postage to it.

-Typed gift tag- the extra effort is appreciated :) -And for your favorite book worm, why not use some old pages to wrap their gift. There's so many books at yard sales and thrift stores that will never be read- might as well put them to good use. -Sweeten the deal by adding a candy cane or lollipop to the outside of the package. -If you're all about perfection this tutorial for tying a bow is for you.

-Abnormal shaped packages look great in brown paper- no need to find another box to put it in. Fabric is a great alternative to paper- and can be reused. -Try decorative paper (like origami) to add some color under your tree.

-Any plain package can be spruced up with a sticker or label.

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas! Enjoy the time with your friends and family.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Tony and I are back from our trip to Yosemite. It got pretty cold on our last day- around 20 degrees. This is what the car window looked like! Brrr

Now we are home again in sunny, southern California. It's supposed to be in the low 60's for the rest of the week through Christmas. I've got presents to wrap, some last minute orders to ship, and a house to get in order for guests. Laundry might be my demise...

How is it December 22nd already? I know I'm not the only one scrambling around. Good luck getting all the last minute "to dos" done :)

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Sometimes I am such a dope! I don't edit my pictures until I need them so these (among others) got lost in my iphoto library. I'll have many more to share soon (NYC, Atlanta, Las Vegas) but for now I need to finish coverage of the holiday craft fairs.

It really is always a treat to see Victoria of Paper and Type. I really enjoyed her setup with these linen covered card shelves and bits of holiday sprigs sprung about :)

This was the first time I saw her collaboration with le petite elefant- a "year of good cheer" calendar.It is the second time this dynamic duo has teamed up to present a calendar and could it be cuter? The answer is no! Genevieve (le petite elefant) came up with adorable watercolors and Victoria (paper & type) handled the lettering and layout. Each watercolor is detachable and you can send it as a postcard or hang it on your wall.

The thing I'm really excited to share. When I saw it on the table I completely forgot to continue snapping shots. I has changed the way I write letters, so thank you Victoria for a) such a great idea and b) perfect execution.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Greetings from Yosemite! Tony and I took some days off to spend in Yosemite with his family. It is so beautiful. Things have been so crazy since October it really is nice to get away from home. Our days have been filled with waterfalls, walks, hot chocolate, wine, and writing postcards. We're having a great time, we'll be back in LA with my family for Christmas.Row 1: View of Half Dome, Giant wreath, Christmas tree at The Ahwahnee hotel.Row 2: Detail of Christmas tree, classic mail box, writing holiday cardsRow 3: partially frozen river, a sunny hike, Yosemite Falls.All photos taken with my iphone 4 then edited with instagram.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Toni Mellott from Traditional Home magazine showcased a few items from their holiday gift guide to feature and this was on national tv. In LA, it was on kcal 9 around 4 yesterday. Crazy right??Paper Pastries has gone viral. You can click here to watch the segment. It begins around minute 2:05. I am named! Pretty huge. Anyway, as you guys can imagine it's been nuts with the online orders. There's only been one issue...we all remember the Allie style:

People were crazy for it but also wanted more swirls, taller letters, skinnier letters, fatter letters, letters spaced further apart...it goes on and on. I'm not happy until my customer is happy but most of them just wanted a completely different style than what they had to begin with. It was straying too much from the original style, each one took on a life of it's own. Something had to be done.A big plus about being in charge is whenever there's an issue it's completely up to me to fix it. The allie style was causing too many problems so I just removed it! It had a good run. The listing seemed weird to me now that there were only three styles to choose from. Again, totally in my control. Debuting a new return address style:

Yes this is dedicated to Donovan of 16sparrows, in a way you could say she saved my sanity :) Now the listing is complete and the orders keep coming! Here is the updated set:

I zeroed in on this adorable love letter kit at the We Love Citrus table but stuck around for all the darling packaging supplies. Twine, bags, ribbon, bags, and stickers- literally everything you need to make a great package this holiday season.

I'm also very impressed by how many products Ana got on one table! I gushed and gushed over everything and before I left she gave me one of her love letter kits :)

Just what you need to write that overdue love note for Valentines day.

It's way too cute for me to use so I'm going to randomly pick a blog reader to receive it.

All you have to do is a leave a comment on any January post and I'll pick a winner on January 31th.

I hope she doesn't mind me sharing this code from her mailing list:

"To help you out a little bit to shop for those very last gifts during this holiday season we decided to put one last coupon out. Spend $40 or more and receive $10 OFF your order. Enter "SNOWFLAKE" at check out. Offer starts now and ends on Friday 12/16/2011 at midnight (PST).

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Renegade Craft Fair, los angeles was this past weekend. It was fantastic! My team is un-believeable to say the very least. My team consists of- Tony (fiancee) katie (sister) nat (brother in law) and wendy (friend)There's nothing like a little friendly competition to spark the fire. They love the fight to claim the crown of "No. 1 seller" Still, Nat holds the title.Sorry I've been absent since Monday- just trying to get all the stamps orders finalized. Now that that's done I can concentrate on getting orders out the door and posting. It doesn't really feel like work when you can listen to The Carpenters as loud as you want ;) Now, on to the fair-I got to sit and chat with Erin Dollar, and Keiko of Small Adventure. They have such great items. Erin- original collages, drawing, pillows and cards and Keiko- prints, cards, original paintings, accessories. A wide range of items, each of them unique.

Above, A small selection of Erin's table. Erin and I were in the Art department together in college and though we didn't really know each other I'm glad we can become friends now. She is actually organizing a little crafty women's group so if you're in the LA area and want to take part, send her (or me and i'll forward to her) an email. We plan to meet once a month, the first one will be in January, probably in Silver Lake.

Above, Keiko's table. Those original paintings on wood are adorable right? She also has this re-useable air mail pouch. Too much good stuff! All photos by margaret haas.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

When I saw Whisker Graphic's Flash card calendar I knew we needed it in the shop and we just got it. It comes with a bulldog clip so you can hang it virtually anywhere. You can find out more info and purchase here.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The cold has officially arrived in Los Angeles. I spend my mornings huddled up in a robe, slippers, and sipping hot tea while I write down orders, email, and blog. It is hard for me to leave the warmth of my apartment for the harsh winds, dirt, and noise of the city. I definitely need some warm winter clothes :) Clearly I could never survive the real winters of the east coast!now on to a little bit about my recent flickr favorites:-Just seeing christmas trees makes me happy. Tony and I have been so busy with the holiday craft fairs, traveling, and visiting friends that we have not yet had time to go pick a tree. I am crossing my fingers that it happens this week.-I have not been in the snow for 5 or 6 years. We are going to Yosemite the week before Christmas and it will most likely be snowing.-I thought this photo was beautiful and calming. I have never gardened but I do appreciate the hard work that goes into it.

-This scene is perfection. A pot of tea to be enjoyed, instead of rushed like I always drink it during the holidays, sometimes burning my tongue.-This sweet cupcake looks delicious and how about that mini rainbow? magic!

Clearly I'm obsessed with hot beverages during the cold season. This vintage Lipton's ad is so funny- basically a cup of tea makes everything better.-Handsome coffee just opened up downtown LA. I really want to try it, hopefully we will get a chance this weekend.

This clean and simple holiday cards are so pretty- and a reminder I've got to send mine out soon.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

What first drew me in to this jewelry display was it's clean look that you could see from across the room. Neat wooden boxes are the perfect showcase for Los Angeles designer, Amanda Loos' line Kyyote. Such fun colors!

Monday, December 5, 2011

What a weekend! I have a love hate relationship with holiday shows. They are exhausting and exciting at the same time. There's always a lot of prep involved, no matter how many times we've done it. It also gets a bit old when other vendors come up and say "you look so tired!" like, how about "good to see you" or "what's up?" Yeah, I look tired because I am tired. I wake up early every morning and go to bed late every night. It's holiday season- what are you doing? If you're not tired you're not working hard enough! Haters gonna hate.We switched it up a bit this show, and didn't use the card shelves. To cover the walls, I got a stencil made fromInscriptuin San Diego. Michael was easy to communicate with and got the stencil to me in days. Incredible customer service! After we had the stencil we found a three foot roll of kraft paper at Utrecht art stores. We got spray paint from Osh and went to work. We thought red and gold were the most "holiday" colors that would show up on the kraft paper. The final touches were these wreaths that made the booth smell great- so very holiday. Wendy, Katie, Nat, and Tony gave up their weekend to help out. It was a relief to get a bit of a break but then I waited until the last hour on Sunday to go around and take pictures.

I was pleased but now that I look at it, the overall display seems a bit flat. Always a work in progress.

Always a good idea to take pictures and reflect. This week we should figure out what we want to change/edit/keep for next weekends fair.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

This gift guide is dedicated to my sister, whose favorite holiday song is Elvis' blue christmas. We are in the middle of craft fair prep so you won't hear from me again until Monday. Have a great weekend!